> Hats off to Towson University for a terrific basketball season (make that two in a row, actually) that came to an untimely end with yesterday’s 75-71 loss to William & Mary in the CAA semi-finals. It’s tough to beat a team three times in one season, particularly when that team is good, which W&M is, for sure. Easy to say now, since Towson isn’t going to get the chance, but I don’t think they would have gotten by Delaware tonight even if things would have worked out for them against the Tribe.

> The Arena’s debut as the home of the CAA tournament turned out to be a modest success, I thought. The Saturday ticket price of $50.00 (basically an “all-day” pass) was too high, but it’s tough to sell the building on a per-game basis so a one-time price is the easiest way to do it. They need to work on that for next year. I thought the crowds on Saturday and Sunday were decent. Again, for a first-time effort, I gave all of it a passing grade. There are two years remaining on the original “deal” to bring the tournament to Baltimore — it can only get better from here. I’ll say this about Baltimore hosting the event: Inside the building, it felt like something big was going on. Lots of pomp and circumstance. It “looked the part”.

> As is almost always the case anytime something local is going on, WNST was the clear “radio winner” in terms of covering the CAA tournament on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. We had staffers (plural) on site all weekend, blogging, tweeting, etc. It was a laughable ass kicking on Saturday for the Towson-JMU game. We had FOUR folks from WNST there, live, covering the FIRST-EVER CAA tournament game in Baltimore for Towson University, while the FM station in town had ZERO people there. They call themselves “Baltimore’s local sports leader” in station promotional spots, and then not one person from their station covered the biggest college basketball game in Charm City. Yesterday, ONE poor soul from the FM station did venture in for the Towson-William and Mary game. Probably got time-and-a-half.

> It will really get interesting later on this year when 105.7 and/or 1300 AM start broadcasting Towson football and basketball and WNST “out-covers” those two affiliates at the games…like we always do. All hell’s gonna break loose over at CBS Radio when they start telling their on-air folks, “You know, now that we carry the games, the Towson Athletics people are hoping we’ll cover the teams. So…you guys really SHOULD go over to their home games and act interested.” I bet there will be lots of weekend sore throats running through the building next Fall and Winter. As Bart Scott once said: “Can’t Wait!”

> Patrick Reed won his 3rd PGA TOUR event in his last 14 starts on Sunday by capturing the biggest win of his career, the World Golf Championships event at Doral in Miami. The top 50 players in the world were ALL in the field and Reed each of them, yet he evidently ruffled some feathers by saying in his post-round presser, “I’m a top five player in the world.” Twitter and sports sites everywhere where aghast with Reed’s “arrogance”. Arrogance? He has 3 wins in the last eight months. He beat everyone like a drum in college at Augusta State. He’s a stud. What’s he supposed to say afterwards, “I was lucky”? This is like the “Flacco/I’m the best” quote that got our quarterback in hot water two years ago. He was asked where he felt he ranked. He said, “I think I’m the best.” If someone from The Sun or Baltimore Magazine or some other publication asked me to rank the sports radio hosts in Baltimore, I’d answer it by saying, “You mean, rank everyone who’s behind me? Sure, I’ll tell you who’s #2, #3, #4, and so on.” Patrick Reed just beat the best 50 players in the world. I think he can place himself just about wherever he wants on his own list of top 5 players in the world.

> I attended a “Cluster Mission” at my church on Sunday evening. It’s basically a gathering of people from four or five area churches who all sign up for a 3-night session at one of the churches. It turns out that Immaculate Heart of Mary on Putty Hill and Loch Raven Blvd. – where I attend – hosted this first Cluster Mission with last night being the first of the three sessions. Father Jack Mattimore was the featured Priest last night and in his discussion with all of us, he shared a story about the importance of friendship and said, “Interestingly enough, sheep don’t follow the shepherd — sheep are attracted to other sheep. They get herded together by their desire to be with one another. The shepherd is just there to chase any who happen to get wayward back to the flock. Sheep follow sheep.” He then went on to say, “So, I’d ask each of you to invite some of your “sheep” to Monday night’s Cluster Mission here at IHM. Just invite your friends. They might come out. They might not. But at least invite them and see if any want to come with you.” So, that’s what I’m doing now. If you’re reading this, you’re a friend. Come on out tonight at 7pm to IHM for night two of the Cluster Mission. It’s free. It runs until 9pm. They have FREE babysitting, too! You’ll find me in there somewhere and we can talk about the Orioles afterwards. I’m not sure if you heard or not, but they’re going to the World Series this year.

OK, so we’re here in New York for a week of radio from “radio row” in the NY Sheraton in Manhattan.

So far, so good.

I did put one cab driver on blast Sunday afternoon who was beeping the horn behind us as we unloaded our bags in front of our hotel. The scene reminded me of the stupidity of booing the home team at a sporting event. You think I’m going to get my bags out more quickly because you’re beeping the horn like an impatient fool on a Sunday afternoon?

I didn’t watch the Grammy’s last night.

I didn’t watch the Royal Rumble with Glenn and Luke.

I forgot the Pro Bowl was on, honestly, until Nestor said, “We should watch the Pro Bowl for a few minutes of comedic intervention” and I mumbled something about my iPod and wanting to listen to The Pet Shop Boys Greatest Hits. I can proudly say I didn’t watch one play, although I’ll admit – having seen the highlights this morning – the uniforms were pretty cool.

The only sports I watched on Sunday? The PGA Tour event from Torrey Pines, won by Scott Stallings at -9 after everyone else with a chance gagged it down the stretch. That’s a nice win for Stallings, who now has three victories on TOUR. He drove it all over the lot on the back nine, but managed a bunch of nifty up-and-downs and made birdie putts at #17 and #18 to win. Tiger got Jordan Spieth’d on Friday when the kid posted 62 and TW shot 73, then Woods threw up a 79 on Saturday and ducked out a day early thanks to the rarely used “too many guys in the field” rule that resulted in a “MDF” (made cut, did not finish).

Speaking of Spieth, despite his shaky short game on the back nine Sunday, this is the guy the TOUR has been waiting for since the early part of last decade when Tiger blazed through the entire roster of potential competitors, leaving guys like Duval, Garcia, Els and Mickelson in his wake. Spieth is the real deal. The only thing he has to be leery of is the much-discussed “golf burnout” that players of his age (20) sometimes get when they arrive on the scene and start making $300,000 for shooting five under par and want to play in every single event on the schedule. I’m sure Spieth has someone to guide him through this, his first full season, on TOUR, and he’ll handle the workload just fine, but it’s the only thing that can set him back over the long haul.

That’s it for now.

Luke and I are getting ready to launch WNST’s forty hours of live coverage of Super Bowl 48, so I better end this edition of Drew’s Morning Dish and get to the microphone.

A friend of mine sent me a text on Friday morning and asked me to give him the winner of the PGA Tour event in Hawaii. After quizzing him on why he didn’t text me the day before (Thursday is the traditional start day for a pro tournament, but they’re playing this one Friday through Monday), I quickly shot him back the name of the winner: “Take Jordan Spieth” I texted.

Lots of people over the last decade and a half have wondered when the next young gun would come along to challenge the likes of Tiger Woods. A lot of names have surfaced, some have completely fizzled, some have made some money, but none – make that NONE – have come close to being as good as Woods. College golf hotshots come and go like the breeze. These guys – among others – were going to be the guy to challenge Woods: Luke Donald (has as many major titles as you, me and your neighbor’s cat), Troy Matteson (who?), Ryan Moore (nice hat), Jamie Lovemark (still looking for a win) and Rickie Fowler (sharp dresser, can’t win a big one).

But wait…because someone HAS showed up — and he WILL challenge Woods and all of those big wigs on the PGA Tour.

His name is Jordan Spieth.

Win or lose today in Hawaii (he’s tied for the lead through 54 holes), he’s the one “kid” that’s come along who has staying power. He’s an all-world putter, which means he can win on any given week. He drives it like a maniac and stripes his irons. Once he spends an off-season or two learning some short game wizardy like Woods and Phil Mickelson, he’ll be the guy everyone tries to beat well into the next decade.

He’ll finish with more career major titles than Mickelson.

Oh, and I’m opening up my own Fantasy Golf tips business. It’s $2.75 for a “regular event” and $6.50 for a major.

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There’s nothing else new to say about Towson football that hasn’t been said already, either on Twitter, Facebook or here, at WNST.net.

Rob Ambrose has turned Towson football into a championship program, despite getting beat in the FCS title game on Saturday, 35-7. That’s it. His first two years, they won three games total. Saturday in Frisco, Texas, they played for the national championship.

Amazing.

They’ll be back…and they’ll win one of those championships.

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Two takes from Saturday night’s Caps loss in Minnesota.

Those sweaters the Wild wore were freaking sharp. I need one of those. Holy cow.

Next — the Caps aren’t very good. They need some offense. Big time. They CREATE chances. Chances galore. But they can’t finish them off.

They’ll make the playoffs, but don’t be saving up your money for a cross country trip to Anaheim for the Stanley Cup Finals. Ain’t happenin’, Caps fans.

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By the way, Martin Erat of the Caps has one goal in 48 games over two seasons for the Caps.

One goal.

If I had played in 48 games, even now at the tender age of 50, I’d have two goals.

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Florida State gets a visit from the Cleat of Reality tonight in the national championship game.

Auburn 34 – Florida State 28

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Gotta tip your hat to Andrew Luck for what he pulled off on Saturday in Indianapolis.

The kid’s a freakin’ big-time player.

Let’s see what he does on Saturday in New England against the genius coach up there.

I like Donald Glover on “Community” (Six seasons and a movie!) and all, but I was always skeptical about him as a performer. But honestly, not bad (lyrics NSFW)…

Quick. Favorite Counting Crows song ever. I’ll go with this…

Wale and Kevin Durant have something in common. I like them both a LOT but would like them a hell of a lot more if they weren’t Redskins fans…

Fiona Apple is coming to town. Anyone remember their awkward feelings about seeing her in her underwear in the “Criminal” video? I can’t tell you how confused I was about myself watching it the first time…

If the powers-that-be who run the USGA could have hand picked their 2012 U.S. Open champion, there’s little doubt Webb Simpson’s name would have been on just about everyone’s slip of paper.

He’s not a club thrower. He’d never smash the ESPN microphone after a bad tee shot like Sergio Garcia did on Friday. You’d never hear him snap and swear at a TV photographer the way Bubba Watson did in round 2. Simpson treats a bogey the same way he treats a birdie. He hands his putter to his caddie and moves on to the next hole.

You want your son or daughter to grow up and “be like someone”? You should hope they grow up to be like Webb Simpson.

That he’s the U.S. Open champion this morning speaks volumes about the kind of golf Webb Simpson can play. There’s an argument that he’s the best American player right now, with all due respect to the likes of Bubba Watson, Matt Kuchar and Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods. Only Hunter Mahan might be his rival right now, in terms of American-born players, that is.

But more important than his golf is his style. I’d almost go as far as to say it’s “charming”…the way he goes about playing the game, particularly in high-level events like the Fed Ex Cup event he won last September or yesterday’s Open at The Olympic Club.

If you need one story about Webb Simpson that proves he’s a champion, it has nothing at all to do with holding up the trophy in the San Francisco mist late Sunday afternoon.

In May of 2011, Simpson was leading the Zurich Classic in New Orleans by one shot on Sunday afternoon when he faced a tap-in five-inch putt for par. As he took the putter back, he noticed his golf ball moved about a half-an-inch. He paused…and called over a rules official to explain what had transpired. The rules at that time (since changed) called for a one stroke penalty, which eventually cost the Charlotte, NC resident the title when he lost to Bubba Watson in a sudden death playoff.

Afterwards, while he wasn’t thrilled about the outcome, Simpson talked about missing birdie putts on 17 and 18 that would have given him the title outright. Later on in the summer, he would campaign for the rule to be changed, but he did it in a respectful, courteous manner.

Some players would have barked loud and long about getting “jobbed” and costing them a million bucks in the aftermath of such an unfortunate situation.

Webb Simpson talked about missing birdie putts and things he could directly control.

That’s right. For the first time in my (still?) young life, I will be roasting a pig Saturday. It’s all thanks in part to ABC Rental Store in Rosedale. A talented young man I listen to on the radio is always talking to me about them. I think his show is called “The Reality Check.” I PRAY my results make me as happy as George W. Bush…

Also, I will be hosting a qualifier for the Olympic KanJam team Saturday (more on Twitter @OlympicKanJam). I expect the day to look much like this…

There’s simply no chance MIB3 is something I’ll want to go see. And while Cedric the Entertainer is funny, I’d rather talk about beer.

I have no idea whether or not Flying Dog Brewery will be unleashing canned Underdog Atlantic Lager on the Zoo this weekend, but I DO know that the campaign they used to roll it out in our nation’s capital was simply fantastic…